For such a simple sack of a dress, it sure is a pain in the ass. This time I made such a fuck up of the cowl attachment that I had to pick it out 3 times and then serge the pieces together and top stitch the serged edges down about .25 of an inch from the cowl seam. So much for stitching in the ditch.

If you looked at the guts, you'd probably say it looks fine. That's cuz I wouldn't let you look for long.

It's still not done, if you can believe it (10 hrs later), because I've had to rip out the hem. Finally, I rolled some wooly nylon for the bobbin (you can only wind this by hand but it does tend to help even out hems on stretchy fabric). My new machine is not adapting as quickly to knits as I might have imagined. The tension is challenging, despite much testing. Even at 3mm, the stitch looks much tinier. Tiny stitches on knits tend to get wavy and ugly. I'll have to come back to the hem tomorrow. I've been really struggling with headaches lately and the last few days have been a bitch. There's just no more juice for sewing today.

I've been very critical of my sewing lately. I sense I've got to park the perfectionism. I mean, I'm only as competent as I am. If I don't intend to stop doing this craft (and I don't), then I'm going to have to manage occasional mediocrity. I don't know why I'm so much more forgiving of my knitting than sewing. Is it that I have so much time with the garment before completion that I come to terms with it?

What's interesting about this dress is that it's very flattering, bad sewing technique aside. It drapes beautifully. I made the 10 and it fits well what with that being my size from the vantage of shoulder width. Given that my rayon jersey is mega stretchy and the dress has a lot of wearing ease, it's just the right size.

I did two things differently this time and I think they're going to stand this garment in good stead:

Last time I made this, I didn't own a serger. As I do now (and it's got a little spot built into the presser foot wherein one can feed in stabilizing tape like that clear stuff that's almost impossible to maneuver on a regular machine), I stabilized the shoulder seams in a jiffy and with the optimal material. It was so easy! (I do love my serger.) I also used this on the wrong side of the armscye to stabilize it. I folded over the serged-with-stabilizer edge and topstitched it before sewing up the side seams. Looks good and feels firm.

Then I stabilized the (very inclined to wave) hem by fusing some interfacing to it. Note: You have to fuse the interfacing from the bottom of the hem to the point at which you'll sew or it won't provide the integrity you'll have spent that extra 30 minutes to achieve. I intend to sew a 1.5 inch hem, so I used 3 inches of interfacing width.

In truth, I've worn the original (badly made) version to death and it's held up really well. The wide hem, uninterfaced, is just lovely and the shoulders are solid enough. But this version's rayon jersey is its own thing and I want to treat it properly.

Today's questions: If you've made this dress, did you find it fun to sew? Or was it really unpleasant? Do you hate sewing rayon jersey? (I'm starting to feel really pissed off by it. Modal, double-knit, tencel - they all sew very nicely. Even though rayon jersey has a great drape, it's SO tricky to stitch.) What's your fave knit from a sewing perspective? And finally, do you sew with headaches? What are your strategies for managing the pain while doing finicky work?

24 comments:

Aww, sounds so frustrating! I find rayon knits tricky too - they stretch and drape so much that it's easy to make mistakes.

I get a lot of tension headaches... they go away if I do my physiotherapy routine regularly (which of course I don't!) I find that I don't notice them too much when I'm sewing, but all that hunching and frowning as I sew doesn't help! Once I stop concentrating on sewing, the headaches come right back. I hope you figure out something that helps for yours!

I've been upping my yoga game - esp. when it comes to supported poses that are meant for headaches and back pain (the pain refers from head to back and then from back to head). I'm going to have to sort this out - I'm in process of doing so - but it's not a quick fix (as you know).

Mika - that's just what I mean: a GROOVE! I could not think of that word to safe my life yesterday... I don't know if it's a standard feature. In truth, I have a high-end serger (it was a big splurge when I was far too new to sewing to splurge like that, but I totally don't regret it). I don't even know how I figured out about the groove. I don't think it was mentioned in the instructions. One day it just dawned on me that that's what the notch was for. It was a bizarre moment that changed an element of sewing forever.

Oh man, I've been feeling the same way re: my sewing. Too many fails lately. I've decided to stop sewing with wovens until after I read that Veblen book to see if I can get a clue. So I just bought 3 yards of . . . rayon/spandex jersey! Oh no! I hope I don't have as hard a time as you did, because that might send me over the edge.

I've been suffering from terrible sinus headaches all winter, and I definitely don't sew when I've got one. That's just setting myself up for a fall. I hope you can get yours sorted out soon.

I'm looking forward to seeing this dress - the last one looked fantastic on you.

I can't believe you feel that way! Everything you make looks great. Don't worry about the rayon jersey - it makes a great finished product, even if you can't stand to look at your stitches. I've been struggling with the headaches for a while now (it's a thing I've been managing to some degree or another at various phases of my life) but lately it's been pretty hardcore.

I've had a fair number of fails in recent history, so I can totally relate to that part. And while I love the feel of rayon jersey, it is definitely a PITA to sew. Never tried this pattern though, so no help there.

Have you for sure been drinking enough water? I know that when I'm sewing I tend to forget that I need to stay hydrated, and those dehydration headaches are a bitch!! Or they could be stress headaches, and your husband can help with those--by giving backrubs and such.... ;-)

I could drink more water, that's for sure, but I think my headaches are hormonally driven. I'm likely to post on this at some point in the near future. Trying to figure out how to give some useful info (and to ask for suggestions) without going all overshare on information about my health history.

I love wearing the drapey knits, but yeah, I always struggle sewing them. Especially since I can't rely on my serger in that department (it only does a three thread and has tension issues). I find if I can bear to finish, the imperfections recede after a few satisfying wears. But yeah... parking the perfectionism. It's kinda a sewing must. Mine (which I suspect is not as well developed as yours ;) ) creeps in at inopportune moments, too. :P Good luck!

I have. It's the subject of a long post, I suspect. I've seen a neurologist and I'm having some testing - just to rule things out and to confirm that they're hormone-motivated migraines. Still, that sucks. Esp. since it's unlikely I can take the migraine medication due to another complication.

yup, sometimes the perfectionism has to go, hard as it is. whenever i feel bad about my sewing i take a look at the rtw stuff in my closet and find that my wavy stitching isn't really all that bad! and nothing is worse than unpicking knits...

i get headaches frequently as well, but i tend to sew anyways. between the usual hormone flux, light sensitivity, and allergies it seems i have them more often than not!

I know! Sometimes I am made aware of this too. But, really, for the most part I'm so fussy about RTW at this point, that the stuff I have is really well-made.

I think my headaches are hormone-related (and docs seem to agree). As I'm going into perimenopause (early, admittedly), I've really noticed a ramp up of my migraines. Same thing happened in puberty and after I had my kid. But man, this is far worse than it was the other times...

Oh I get more than my fair share of headaches too. Things that help me... advil, sleep, massage/stretching (I think some come from poor posture/desk set up at work), water, stepping away from screens to rest my eyes... Sleep is the best. I did have a little rolly ball pen thing called Migrastick, it let you roll essential oils on your temple - mint and lavendar maybe? It really did help, but I haven't seen it in a while.

And yes, the perfectionism needs some time in the magic closet. The funny thing is that while I'm sewing, I usually think "good enough, it looks okay" and over time I like things less. I notice the fit isn't right, or it won't move like it should. Sort of the opposite.

All of those are very good things - except the neurologist has told me that the Advil is evil and not targeting the correct pain receptors. This is a long story since, due to another condition I have, migraine meds are contraindicated. I'm looking into this...

Feel Free to Email Me At

Here am I...

But Enough About Me...

Form/Function. Line/Curve. Safe/Risk. Art/Craft. Body/Mind.
Fashion intersects these. It's how we express what is popular in what is personal. It's where intellect debates sex; where soft and hard duke it out. So much mystery underpins beautiful things. So much confidence rests upon them. Discuss.